It’s turkey time. We don’t eat turkey often at our house. But, we really love them during the holidays. Most years we deep fry our turkey. There are several reasons for this. The first is that it tastes wonderful that way! The second is that a fried turkey takes an hour or so to prepare and a roasted or baked turkey takes several hours and ties up the oven.
I cook a lot for Thanksgiving. It’s the one day a year when I don’t worry about how many dishes I’m putting on the table. I cook everything I can think of. I have 15 items on my menu for this year. But, of course the star is the turkey. So, today I’m giving you two turkey recipes and then the giblet gravy that goes with it.
The first fried turkey recipe uses a Creole flavor. You can make this more or less spicy depending on what your preferences are. Keep in mind the preferences of your guests. I don’t make them very spicy because I have too many people in my family who don’t like spicy food.
The second turkey recipe is a more standard recipe. It uses brown sugar which gives a great flavor.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to use anything but salt and pepper to deep fry a turkey. It will still taste great.
The last recipe is giblet gravy. Whether your family likes the giblets or not, they make great flavors for the gravy. If you chop them really fine, they won’t know that they are eating livers, hearts and gizzards. They iron will do them good!
Fried Turkey
10 to 14 pound fresh turkey
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can chicken broth
3 fluid ounces garlic oil or juice1tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons Cajun or Creole hot sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
25 medium whole bay leaves
3 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 tablespoons hot Creole seasoning
4 to 5 gallons peanut oil
For the injection sauce, mix chicken broth, garlic oil or juice, salt, hot sauce, cayenne
and Worcestershire sauce.
For the rub, finely grind bay leaves in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Place in small bowl. Grind thyme, oregano and peppercorns similarly, and add to bay leaves with garlic powder and hot Creole seasoning. Mix. Divide into three equal parts.
Wash turkey inside and out under cold running water; pat dry. Using a hypodermic needle or a baster with a threaded needle, shoot injection sauce throughout the meaty portions of the turkey. Do this about 24 hours before you cook the turkey.
At the same time, rub 1/3 spice mixture on inside of turkey, 1/3 under skin of breasts, and 1/3 on outside of turkey; place in roasting pan.
Cover; marinate overnight in refrigerator or up to 24 hours. Bring turkey to room temperature, which will take about 30 minutes.
Using a wooden skewer, thread neck flap securely to bottom of turkey. Fold wing tips under. Using steel or aluminum wire, truss legs and Pope's nose together securely; form a handle with wire. This will enable you to hold turkey while submerging in hot oil. (This procedure may be unnecessary if you have a fryer kit, some of which use a hook through the turkey for dipping the bird in the oil and some of which use a basket; follow the manufacturer's directions.)
Heat oil in pot until temperature registers 350 degrees. Holding turkey by handle, immerse in oil. Maintain temperature at 350 degrees while frying. Fry until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes, or 3 minutes per pound.
Lift turkey from oil and check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. It
should be 180 degrees in the thigh or 170 degrees in the breast. If it's done, transfer to wire rack over a roasting pan. Drain for 15 minutes.
Deep-Fried Turkey
6 quarts hot water
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound dark brown sugar
5 pounds ice
1 (13 to 14-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Approximately 4-4 1/2 gallons peanut oil
Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. Carve as desired.
Giblet Gravy
Giblets & neck of turkey
1 medium onion, peeled & quartered
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups water/stock
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled & diced
4 whole black peppers
1 bay leaf
1/4 cups flour
2 hard-boiled eggs
Wash giblets and place in medium-sized pot with celery, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaf and water. Bring to boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Remove giblets and rough chop, discarding neck. Set giblets aside. Strain broth and press vegetables through strainer or ricer. Add water or stock to make three cups.
Place 1/4 cup of drippings from turkey or chicken into large skillet. Stir in flour and allow drippings and flour mixture to brown until medium dark brown. Remove from heat. Stir in the three cups of broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boiling while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add giblets and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Slice the two hard-boiled eggs and place on top of gravy after it has been placed in serving bowl.
Did you know?
A deep fried delicacy: The how-to on deep frying turkey
Deep-fried turkey, a concept that started in the south, has risen in popularity nationwide. It's a perfect twist for barbecues, block parties and holiday feasts. To get you started, we have turkey frying tips for both outdoor and indoor turkey fryers plus several deep-fried turkey recipes. For a deep frying turkey experience that is fun and produces delicious results follow these guidelines:
The Turkey – size matters: Smaller turkeys, 8 pounds to 10 pounds and turkey parts, such as breast, wings, drumsticks and thighs, are best for frying. Size does matter as a 12 pound to 14 pound turkey is the maximum size bird that should be successfully deep fried. In addition to the obvious safety concern of lowering and lifting a big turkey into a vessel of boiling oil, larger birds simply cook longer. The extra cooking time may result in over exposure to the skin, which could be over cooked.
If a larger bird (over 15-pounds) has been purchased, follow these steps for the best results. Detach the dark meat (leg and thigh portions) from the breast and fry the two turkey parts separately. Fry the leg/thigh sections first in oil that has been preheated to the desired temperature (see chart below). Cook to an internal temperature of 175 degrees to 180 degrees. Remove the dark sections and reheat the oil. Then fry the turkey breast to an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees.
Amount of Oil Many turkey fryers feature a “fill line” indicating the suitable level of oil to add to the pot, but if that feature is absent from your fryer, follow these guidelines before marinating the turkey:
Place the thawed turkey in the fryer basket and place in the empty pot. The minimum oil level should be 3 inches to 5 inches from the top of the fryer. Add water until the top of the turkey is covered. Remove the turkey, allowing the water to drain from the turkey. Note the water level, using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water.
Drain or pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly. If the fryer has a drain valve, be sure there isn't any excess water in the spigot. Open the valve to drain the water and remember to close the valve before adding oil.
There are turkey fryers that don’t require oil. New outdoor, oil-less turkey fryers use infrared heat – a technology popular in gas grills – to cook and the result is a juicy, tender bird with crispy skin.
Cooking preparation
Remove the turkey from the wrapper. Be sure to save the label that indicates the weight of the turkey. Use the turkey’s weight to compute the total frying time.
Thaw the turkey completely. Remove the neck and giblets from the two body cavities.
Heat the oil to the desired temperature shown on the chart below.
While the oil is heating, prepare the turkey as desired. If injecting a marinade into the turkey, puree ingredients so they will pass through the needle. Even so, you may have to strain the mixture to remove larger portions.
For whole turkeys, inject 60 percent marinade deep into the breast muscles, 30 percent into the leg and thigh muscles and 10 percent into the meaty wing section. Do not inject the marinade just under the skin as a water-based marinade will result in the hot oil popping and splattering.
Remove any excess fat around the neck to allow the oil to flow through the turkey.
Remove the wire or plastic truss that holds the legs in place (if applicable). Cut off the wing tips up to the first joint and cut off the tail.
Remove the pop-up timer from the breast (if applicable).
Do not stuff turkeys for deep frying.
To reduce spattering, thoroughly dry the interior and exterior of the bird.
After adding marinades and/or seasonings, place the turkey in a clean roasting pan on the countertop for no more than 30 minutes to 45 minutes. This allows the marinades and seasonings to permeate the turkey and raises the turkey’s internal temperature so as to create less splatter during the frying process.
Tea. The tannic acid in tea can clean your wood floors and also work as a scratch cover. Brew two teabags in a quart of warm water. Using a clean cloth, dip into the tea, wash floor and wipe dry.
Vinegar. Vinegar is a staple in both cooking and cleaning. White vinegar can dissolve gummy build-up, remove tarnish and pull the dirt out of the grain of wood floors. Put vinegar in the rinse cycle of the washing machine to cut detergent residue. Placing bowls of vinegar around the house will remove unwelcome odors, including the vinegar smell.
Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:
kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.
